Wangari Mathai

I know i have not interacted closely with Professor Wangari Mathai to be the best person to write about her. Of course i boast that we are both alumni of the University Of Nairobi. She also comes from my neigbouring district.When i was a first year at the University of Nairobi, i attended a lecture that she was giving at University of Nairobi, Taifa Hall. Taifa Hall will tell you that it has been a place for perhaps some of the best refined speeches from the true heroes and heroines of Kenya.

Listening to Professor Mathai was a moment well spent. She represented the good values we must fight to keep. She was proud of her ascent and it never bothered her and she was truly Kenyan. She believed in simplicity since she knew it is only when you forget yourself that you can impact the world.

Wangari Maathai was infected for life with the passion that drives men and women to do things that do not make sense to the short sighted. She suffered from the charisma that tears the hearts of stone. She battled with the courage that scares the simple hearted. She spoke with the conviction that turns the hearts of generations. She walked in the strength that knows no defeat and lived on the faith that moves mountains.

Many thought that Wangari's struggle was just about the environment. But hers was far beyond what an ordinary mind can conceive. Wangari fought for the dignity of life, equality and justice. She fought for a better world for all. She suffered for the joy and abundance of generations present and generations to come.

If you asked her what would stop her from the pursuit of peace, a better future and the many ideals she stood for, i'm sure she would tell you that nothing would. Not teargas and blows, not insults and threats, not sickness and infirmity. Not gender or status or tribe. Yeah, not even death because her legacy is very alive even after she is gone.

I once heard a preacher say, " When we came in this world, the first thing we did was cry. And we must live such a life of impact that when we die, the world will cry." That is just what Wangari did. She leaves a world that feels at loss. She leaves a nation that wonders why it has to lose only its best. She leaves a generation that needed a champion. She leaves shoes that few would want to wear.

Whenever Wangari opened her mouth, we all wanted to hear. I remember one time when Students of Egerton University went on strike to protest against the destruction of Mau Forest. They did it the normal way univerity students do. Some of them stoned cars, robbed citizens and engaged police in running battles. And Professor Wangari Mathai had a food for thought. And she said, " I wish our young men were more candid when protesting. If i were them, i would go to Mau Forest holding a tree on one hand and a stone on the other hand. Then i would throw the stone to the person who tries to stop me from planting my tree."

I know we all have much to say about our very own Wangari Mathai. May her soul rest in eternal peace and may her legacy be the next outbreak to be seen in Kenya.

Town Food

With time i am beginning to realize why my Dad is always reluctant of eating food outside home. For all the time i have known him, my dad has always avoided eating outside home, sleeping outside home even when he is required to be in a conference. We used to laugh about it but at the same time feel proud of a husband and father who took family as priority. At least he set a good example. Perhaps i am following after his footsteps. But for the part of eating outside home i have failed terribly. I can excuse myself and say the set up has changed tremendously and the only way i will eat food cooked at home during the day is either i carry packed lunch or go to the house over lunch hour. I guess the manly ego restrains me from the former and the time constraint restrains me from the latter. So i am only left with the option of fasting which as a matter of fact doesn't happen daily and actually people like me are still a great assignment the Lord has to do to bring to a level where fasting will be a part of normal life. In short, i cannot help eating here and there.

So during the day, i go this way, i go that way. I eat this, i eat that. Of course i grew up in the village so my menu is not diverse. I once went to a Chinese restaurant and no sooner had i sat on the table than i left. This is because when the menu was brought, i did not understand it. I had no clue of any food on that menu and you know they do not bring samples to the table. When i was growing up in the village, i was fed with stereotypes especially on the eating habits of other cultures and the contents of their diets and of course somehow cheated that only my culture knows what real food is and how it should be taken. But modernity is slowly catching up with me and once in a while i do some adventure. I also want to have a sentence to say when i go somewhere and somebody mentions pizza, burger, mayonasse, you see. Of course this is at a risk because some bellies like mine are highly reactive and can protest at any foreign and unfamiliar matter especially if it comes without notice or premeditation.

So on Friday last week i went through what is called driving in modern terms;let the reader understand. I am still trying to trace the root cause of that explosive reaction.It was actually highly explosive and a certain small room in my house can give a testimony. If you want to know the gravity of that matter ask my sweetheart, or my sister and they will tell you that for the better part of the weekend, i abstained from food. I was not fasting. And i could not settle on the seat even while watching a very captivating movie because i was being driven externally by some fierce internal forces that were causing some cyclic imbalances within my system. A saying in my language says, "he who has a running belly seeks the bush". So seeking the crucial room was paramount.

I had to dig to the depth of that matter and try to find out what i should strike out from my menu forever. A careful and detailed analysis takes me to Wednesday lunch when a colleague asked me out for lunch. I work in Westy and you can be sure we went to a place where the menu should have been accompanied by samples and additional notes. And while i was there struggling with the menu, he said, " No need to struggle. Just replicate my choice." And he mentioned something like chips masala, two sausages and egg something. I just smiled at the waiter and said,"likewise, and some passion juice."

As we unleashed our potential, we talked about the ICC proceedings at the Hague, and whether those Kenyans had a case to answer . We wondered why the weather has changed so much to an extent that it would be cold in September. We laughed at some of the happenings that take place in our workplace. And before we could even notice, we had subdued the mountain on the table. So we went back to the office very energized. I cannot say with surety that my stomach was perfect from that time but if if felt something strange, i must have taken it lightly; after all this world is not my home. But on Friday evening, my attention was drawn to some situations within me that would begin to cause some overflows. I suspect whatever i took after Wednesday did not augur well with the foreigners in my belly and some nutritional clashes must have taken place.

I know i still don't have the courage to transport food from my house to the office and daily fasting might take a little longer to materialize. But i will hate to see a repeat of the situation i went through over the weekend. I mean, weekends are meant to be full of life and vitality and moving around for good reasons. I need to either shun new diets or have a plan to gradually introduce myself to these diets. May be start with having a piece of kebab on my githeri, or a drop of mayonasse on my rice and if no reaction takes place then these quantities can be increased progressively. I know there are still so many items i still have no idea of on those menus, like, did they call it Kolobot Chicken or something? I have never been complicated and i would rather there were simpler menus. By the way some of us prefer going to these small restaurants for that very reason; there you can tell what exactly is on the menu and the waiters there don't weng too much when they are explaining the menu.

The Fundi Factor

I have one proposal to make to our beloved government as we look into the instruments of vision 2030. That they create a body that will regulate all fundis since these guys have proved over time that they can never regulate themselves. I am serious on this matter. And if possible let it be done this year and let it be fixed creatively within Michuki's docket.The first step in this should be to legislate a regulatory body that will be tasked to license all Fundis. Within this regulatory body which they can Call 'Fundis Regulatory Commission', there should be sub-departments like Department of Carpentry and Joinery,Department of Tailoring and Clothing, Department of Metal and Hard Stuff, Department of Leather and Leather Products to mention but a few. And then there should be a Complaints and Grievances desk which i'm sure will need quite a good number of staff. That way we will create jobs but more importantly save Kenyans from frustrations and uncalled for wastage of time and money that they have have had to endure in the hands of fundis.Some legal expert can help me how to frame this to make it fit within the context of county governments.

As i say this i register my sympathies to all beloved Kenyans who have had to do their weddings in unfinished attires or have had to buy ready mades on Saturday morning since the fundi has either done a shoddy job or is Mteja at the hour of reckoning. My heartfelt sympathies to all those who have had to get additional support to their bed, or table because they could not stand on their own and the fundi insists its your floor that is uneven. And how can i forget those who have had to wear slippers to work because the fundi disappeared with the only begotten shoe.The Kenyan definition of a fundi is someone who by their very nature forgets to use a tool at the right time and when they must use it, they have to use it wrongly. Someone must come to our aid.

I have had my own pretty measure of woes in the hands of fundis and i know i have swore many times never to ever get anywhere near a fundi except it be on family or religious grounds. I don't know how i always find myself occasionally looking for them. Its like the things i do not want to do are the things i find myself doing. This morning i got to work late after i had agreed with a fundi who was making some stuff for me that it will be ready at 7:30 a.m. and that i would just clear the balance and have it delivered to my house. That was after he failed to meet his Saturday last week deadline and an extended deadline of Monday evening. I had to extend the deadline to today evening and i hope this is the last time i'm doing this. I am not happy. Of course the justification of a fundi is far beyond question. He will tell you how he does not want to hurry and do a shoddy job; which is good enough. He will tell you how he wishes you were seeing things from his view and how letting a customer down has never been and will never be his portion. Actually when you are called customer, you are defeated by that love. I have never known why the name customer always finishes many people and makes them stop complaining. I mean, its like when you come home angry and you are called sweetheart. In many instances you are melted down. Of course it depends on how low your melting point is because many of us are more prone to boiling than to melting.

SO i have found many Kenyans boiling in the presence of Fundis. I once went to pick a suit that was being made for me by a Fundi in the City Centre, which became my last suit to be made locally, not because i do not want to promote local industries but because i do not want to lose my head in the process. So when i was there giving a piece of my mind to the fundi,a couple came to check their wedding attire for a wedding which was two days to come. I tell you it was fire. The clothes were not done and the bride was getting hysterical and the man had to prove he can handle situations like that even as he goes to marriage. The fundi would have been beaten properly if it were not for our intervention. Of course we were equally frustrated, only that we did not want another kind of post election violence.

So i hope this afternoon my piece of furniture will be done. I do not want to appear in the headlines for the wrong reasons. I am getting agitated and my beloved Kenyans, let me tell you i can boil and i boil violently. Somebody keep an eye on me and hold me fast if you do not see my hands in the pocket. I hope i will sleep counting my accomplishments and not my frustrations. Oh my, i hope this day is good. Someone tell that Fundi i don't tolerate any nonsense. I wish you all a lovely time and may God save us from the fundi agony that has caused so many tears and so many ulcers. Tunaomba serikali.

My Weekend Is Mine

I have been asking myself what's the purpose of a weekend. It is said that in an office, the bosses report to work on Monday morning very strong and lively and with the energy to push everyone around. Of course i am talking of an ideal African office where thou must turn 45 to be called the boss.This is because most people at this age view the weekend as a time to relax and rest to prepare for another week. The young employees are the exact opposite of their bosses. As for them, the weekend is the ideal time to meet friends, drive far and wide, go partying, explore every dimension of the other side of life. These they will do until there is no more time and they are sad that the weekend is ever too short. So waking up on Monday to them is like an act of God, its a disaster, it is uncalled for.

That is why the office line is ever busy on Monday morning; because staff are calling to say why they will be late for work that morning. And you will hear very well crafted stories which you cannot help believe unless you are so inhuman. Of course most of them are more of fiction than reality.Stories like," I'm sorry boss. we have hardly slept last night because our child had a bad fever. In fact as i speak we are in hospital and we are so afraid he looks so sick. And the queue is just too long." In other words, the boss should not expect that employee before midday. Or you will hear something like, "Boss, we traveled upcountry over the weekend to bury a relative and on our way back to town, our vehicle broke down and we actually spent the Sunday night in the cold. Its now that we are finding our way to town." In short Monday morning is the time for narratives and if you love stories, then just wait for Monday morning.

So the youth have perfected the art of 'killing relatives',' hospitalizing their children', 'breaking down their cars'. The most hilarious one was one of a colleague who came at midday on a Monday morning and when we were all listening he said, "I tell you homes have issues. I have not slept last night because my neighbors fought the whole night." And he seemed so excited narrating the story, the insults, the kicks, the frying pans that had been converted to flying pans. It was a sweet story to hear and all we could do is advice him to consider moving now that he doesn't know how often they will fight therefore how many days he might not report to work.

Well, as for me i believe the weekend doesn't necessarily mean rest,as in literally. Its a break. That's why i do not want to replicate my weekly routine to weekend. And whenever i am tempted, i remind myself of a story i once read of a rich businessman who received sad news on a Friday evening when he was playing golf. He was told that one of his stalls had burned to the ground and all he said was, " wow! What a surprise i will get when i report to work on Monday morning." That is why when i saw the call from my boss on Friday at 7:30 p.m., i asked myself,"why now? But i was in the office up to 5:00 p.m., ready and willing to listen. But as luck would have it, my phone mouthpiece had gone bananas. That means i had a true story for Monday morning. And when my wife asked me to pick the call i said,"well not now. At least my phone is bad. And even if it was good, i wouldn't want my half hour for my family to go to the same reason that kept me away for eight hours." That is why sometimes i can be a bad boy for good reasons.

Let's get back to the boss. The Boss easily forgets that he was young a few years ago and now that he has settled in many aspects of life, he treats subordinates as though they too are like him/her. Unfortunately, he is dealing with youths who have been running up and down the whole weekend, left so many issues unfinished and needs the entire Monday and part of Tuesday to bring back the body in good working condition and to follow up on several issues. Actually the young employee,begins feeling the week on Wednesday and that's the time they feel energized. At that time the boss is already getting weary after a few quarrels with the young junior staff who he had to push around the entire Monday and Tuesday. Now the boss wants the weekend to come. The young employee is however already placing such a load of work on his desk that gives him headache.Things are now getting interesting. The boss is already weary and longing for the weekend so he can rest. The young staff is so energized and longing for the weekend to do what they do best.

I have no problem how we spend our weekend. My problem is when someone wants to set my weekend agenda because they will not like it. Sometimes the boss has some energy to spare and by the fact that he/she has already settled in life, they think they can spare some time to do office work and they want the young guy to be there to utilize their skills. That's where the actual trouble begins. So these young guys
will refuse to pick the phone from the boss over the weekend. And that according to the boss is being rude and insensitive and will be part of the lecture you receive on Monday morning. That's the time you will be told how you should own the organization and be there for any organization need. And of course you will not say No. But in the heart of the young member of staff will be the following words, " This guy has been there long enough to take care of himself. Now he is done and he wants me to join him to take care of the organization. I say no! It is my time to take care of myself". And when the boss gets so nagging, the young fellow will say, "Well. You are being paid for what you are doing. Pay me and i will join you."

All i am saying is, we all value our weekend. We all long for the weekend. But it is for different reasons and i don't think we need a forum to agree how we live our weekends. And we must ensure that this does not become a matter to quarrel about on Monday morning. Let's set each other free. Please boss, let me be myself during the weekend and i promise you i will stop having stories to narrate on Monday morning.

chriskahuria: Life Must Be Lived.

chriskahuria: Life Must Be Lived.: I have come to the realization that no matter what people tell you, no matter what advise they give or no matter what anticipation you have,...

Souls and Hearts

Philip observed keenly,
And thought carefully
For what he was looking here,
Was something he knew was rare
And the more he looked’
The more he felt to look more.

The scenes kept changing
For he with other brothers and sisters,
Were in a campus mission
In the North Rift region
So he compared different a scenario
To see whether what he saw’
Whether surely fitted him.

The second day he thought
Taws nice to move further
For the observation was good
And whatever so he did,
Twas only he that knew.
So, on he moved.

Excuse me! Eeer, sorry for interruption
My name is Philip I bet
And a third year student I swear
Taking Civil Engineering for sure
And born again for real
And Heaven my destiny I say
And so, your name please.

My name is Sally indeed,
A first year student you see,
Taking Industrial Chemistry really
Up there in Chiromo Campus you see.
And Jesus Christ my lover I say
My shelter, my savior, my rock.

Tis pleasure meeting you Dada,
Thanks be to God but do I say
For twas in His plan you know
That we meet thus and such.
Tis good a decision you made
To love JC and serve Him alone
For your desires shall He grant.

So as the week grew older’
So the missioners they worked
And won souls really to Christ
And Philip and Sally actually
Sat adjacent in all sittings
Jumped for the Lord in a style daily
And real acquaintances they became
And the coordinator couldn’t help noticing’
That when it came to giving duties,
Some pairs were hard to break.

And the mission week was oer’
A great success you see
And back to campus the missioners they went
And inside the bus I say
Were funny seating arrangements
And those who thought
As it was in the beginning
So it is now,
Were told as they sat
Excuse me, but this seat is booked.

And back in campus listen
Important appointments they began
Calls and messages they sent
And Philip was soon learning,
He was not alone in the game
And soon brothers they discovered
They had won souls to Christ
And hearts to themselves.

DOES ANYONE CARE?

Beloved Kenyans have had to tire
And to endure the streets of mire
Now no more comfort atop the tyre
And in the heart it feels like fire
For none will take note of need so dire

Tis now become a great bad pain
And their cry always was vain
As it touches not the affection main
Even while the heavens shower rain
For the common man is just a grain

So as they go up the town
They feel just to fall down
And have all cause to frown
For what they feel never is known
By those who claim they own the town

And the trouble has turned most
As up and up goes the cost
And down and down all hope is lost
So when the air is become frost
They can only curse the power ghost

Does anyone up there care to hear?
Does one thither hold our plight dear?
And as we count the days of the year
Will we also count increase in fear?
As it seems the solution is not near.

Let Them Say

This morning as i sat on the chair in my barbershop, and let my kinyozi do his job, i followed some of the conversations that were going on amongst the staff in the salon. I was not interested in the conversation as such and i did not take part in it; i only observed. Not because there was nothing i would have said. Just that i observed. Again i do not want to invade people's conversations. If they invite me i will throw in a piece of my mind.

So what's my point? I know there is always the temptation to get carried away in conversations and also get easily influenced by the thoughts and convictions of other people. Especially when you are around people who are assertive or people you respect. Well, its just a natural tendency and many times we even change our minds and our outlook on life after listening to people's conversations. Psychologists believe that even the most reserved person will have influenced 11,000 people before they die. I am a statistician but i do not want to go into the details of this figure. All i can say is that there is some truth in that.

Back to my kinyozi story. Without loss of generality the conversation was about family life and you can be sure some comments came with a lot of emotions, others with a firm finality. Sometimes people talk as though the world is coming to an end and unless you have the art of filtering information you will go with a different mindset and that can affect how you live thereafter. The interesting thing is that a similar conversation in another setting would be totally different and that means when people engage in a conversation, they are not setting rules with their words. As for me i simply see a conversation as a way of people expressing themselves and so whatever is said to me is opinionated and depends on how that person woke up in the morning. So i do not allow myself to be troubled by what people say.

Of course, through conversations you get to know other dimensions of life's issues that you had probably not taken into account. You get to hear what others think and this is important since healthy relationships happen when you get to know what others think and get to understand their feelings.The best lesson in life is learning how to get along with people. Why? Because every single person is a complex of their own and its hard to understand them fully or to agree with them always or to be happy with them always. Every human being have seasons in their lives. There is a time to love and a time to hate, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time for war and a time for peace. And the list is endless.

But the worst situation in life is when i fail to set my own priorities and fail to set the sail of my life so that i am easily swayed by the ideologies of other people and easily fit in their priorities. So when i find myself in a conversation, i like asking myself what's my purpose in the conversation. Sometimes a conversation can sway me. In fact sometimes i can choose,to move in the tempo and hue of a conversation just for fun or in the interest of keeping the conversation a little longer. But i don't think that my perception on life and my priorities should change every time i engage in a conversation. Life is meant to be forward moving and not cyclic. It ought to be well set and with direction. Every life is personal. Its family and society that are corporate and this is where you strike a balance.

My parting shot is that, conversations are good especially where we are in control of what we say, but more importantly when we understand who we are and where we are going. We are not all moving in the same direction and we do not all have the same goals in life so we do not have to necessarily agree on the way forward. I can assure you there are many times i have headaches, but let me say the next time i have a headache, it will not be because i was in a conversation and i'm confused about what direction to take for life. Do have many meaningful conversations and take care.

Life Must Be Lived.

I have come to the realization that no matter what people tell you, no matter what advise they give or no matter what anticipation you have, the best form of learning occurs when you are undergoing your personal experience. And that's the time you learn that life can never be theorized, it can never be pictured; it can only be lived. I am not and have never been a philosopher and i live it at the liberty of the reader of this article to see whether there is any phrase worth noting for future reference, especially preachers and politicians.

Over time, i have come to appreciate my upbringing and i will forever thank God for my parents and remain indebted to them for my life. They gave me the best care, taught me how to love and serve God, took me to school and allowed me to determine what i want to be, they only facilitated. They taught me good mannerisms, they protected me from all harm, from everything including myself. They were a good example in almost every aspect of life.

And now here i am on my own. I never hear my mum waking me up to go to school, or my dad staying there to ensure i read. These days i am an adult and everyone assumes i know what to do. After all they can only advise me but not instruct me or follow me to do what they say. Its a life of my own and all i can do is live it. Of course living it is not as easy as it sounds, that's actually where all the complications begin. Its now when i would actually stand on a podium and say like a Kenyan, " mengi yamesemwa, mengi yameropokwa, mengi yamepayukwa". At the end of the day its my life. And unlike a project that is just a matter of implementing what has already been preplanned and premeditated, to me life is just living. Its not just about putting into practice what we have learnt and observed over time, its about building a personal culture. Actually i say life begins when you discover yourself and are able to identify your niche.

That's why after all the premarital counseling, i do not consult my notes to know how best to live with my wife. I need to first know her and understand her. I am now hitting two years in marriage and its like all what i knew is gradually becoming irrelevant. I now know that it can only be worth when i live the marriage life, not implement advice or theorize it. And when they talk about becoming one, they mean it. Because it has to be one life lived by two people and that means all past knowledge, perceptions, convictions or even discoveries can be of no use, in fact most of the times they are of no use.

I know i have a background, i know i have a personality, i know i pray and seek God. Yeah, i know many things and if you asked me for a lecture, you will need to allocate good enough time. So what? Is life therefore a lesson? i say no. Is it an experiment? Of course not. I need to stop asking hard questions that i will not answer. All i need to do is live life. And how do i live life? aaah, eeeeh, i just need to do what is best for me and those who matter to me. I know my Dad is a great man, but i am my own man. I have read many books, but they were not describing me. I have listened to many people, but they said what they knew and perhaps what applies to them.And when i think about God, the first thing that comes to my mind is creativity and the beginning of my life is where my creativity begins, because i am His image.

I repeat, i am not a philosopher and this what i am writing is not a thesis. It may not be properly formatted. It does not need a theoretical framework. What i am writing is not a recommendation or a way forward. I'm just saying that life must be lived. And as i hit the keys on my keyboard and curve every letter on my notepad, i am just living my life. I do not want to do anything more. I know who i am and where i live and with whom i live and for what reason i live. That tells me what i need to do and it doesn't have to be what you are doing now, or what you did yesterday or what you are likely to do tomorrow. I love my life and i will live my life. God help me.